


Tangled

by PaperClipFox



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Celebrity Crush, Chubby Katsuki Yuuri, Cute, M/M, Papa Victor, kid yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-01 13:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8625484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperClipFox/pseuds/PaperClipFox
Summary: Yuuri just wanted to have a few months of peace and quiet until he had to return to Japan and back to his life as a celebrity. Instead, he found a lost boy in the middle of Bangkok during the peak of the tourist season. He didn't have the heart to just leave the boy had hope for the best, now did he?





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri didn’t know how he got himself into such situations. His heart was too soft, most likely. Actually, he was soft in general, in a physical sense, but his weight issues had nothing to do with the situation at hand. He took a deep breath and looked down at the small, blonde-haired boy holding his hand.

“Can you speak English?” Yuuri asked the boy.

The boy didn’t look up but gave an affirmative nod.

 Yuuri had pulled the boy aside to prevent him from following a man carrying a large bolt of fabric out of the market. There were too many other tourists in the market to take notice of a single foreign child, but it had been just his luck that he had noticed. Yuuri supposed he could just take the child to the security office near the train station. It would then be their problem and he could then happily return to his own bargain-hunting spree. The issue was that he knew that even if he did, by some chance, end up doing that, that he would worry about the kid for the rest of the day. What use was it to haggle if he had his mind weighed down by something else? Well, that just made him sound so cold-hearted, but Yuuri knew that he couldn’t just ignore the kid.

With a tentative sigh, Yuuri crouched down, ignoring the creaking of his knee and gave the kid one of his best smiles.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you find your family. What’s your name?”

The boy looked at him with a frown on his face and his lips scrunched together. “Yuri.”

 _Wah, how creepy,_ Yuuri thought. He made sure to smile when he saw that Yuri was looking at him.

“That’s my name too. Isn’t that cool?”   

“No. You’re fat. You can’t be a Yuri too if you’re fat.”

Well, that had to be the quickest takedown Yuuri had ever experienced and at the hands of a pre-adolescent no less. He wondered if all children were like this where the boy came from. He hoped not, otherwise he would make it a point to never set foot in that country. Yuuri didn’t know if he wanted to test the boy’s temperance or not by trying to teach him some manners.

 _Well, it’s not like I’ll see him again after he finds his parents_ , Yuuri reminds himself.

They didn’t say anything. Yuri stared at his feet as he shuffled them around. Yuuri, on the other hand, was watching the boy.

“Oh, are you thirsty?” Yuuri asked. He knew he was. “I’ll buy you some water or maybe a cooldrink if you want?”

“Papa says I shouldn’t take things from strangers,” Yuri said with a grumble. “Especially not a fat stranger.”

“That’s good advice.” Yuuri opted to ignore the fat remark. “It’s very hot today. I need something drink. What will you do if I fall over? Who will help you find your papa?”

Yuuri knew he had won when the boy’s frown deepened. He noticed that the boy hadn’t let go of his hand all the while. It was sweet, really. Yuri must be more scared than he let on. At least something seemed to be going right. It might not take as long to sort as Yuuri had originally thought if Yuri continued to co-operate. He led them to the large Coke-shaped kiosk. With two waters in one hand and Yuri’s hand in the other, Yuuri managed to secure the little bench just beyond the kiosk.   

He handed Yuri his water and Yuuri made sure to make a show of enjoying his own water, though he wasn’t sure it was too exaggerated. It was an unusually hot day for January. When he woke up that morning, Yuuri never thought he would get stuck with a blonde-haired boy in the middle of the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok. Not even in his wildest dreams.

Yuri seemed to not be strong enough to twist open the cap on the water bottle. The boy didn’t show any signs of giving up either. Yuuri thought it was adorable. It took all his willpower not to laugh.

“Let me help,” Yuuri offered. The boy scoffed but handed over his water. Yuuri twisted open the cap a moment later. “There you go, but be careful, it’s full.”

Yuri drank his water quietly and seemed not to look at anything in particular. Yuuri wondered if it was because he was in a strange place, or because that was maybe that was just how the boy was.

“You know there’s an ice skater with my name too,” Yuri said.

Yuuri choked on his water somewhat and waved the boy off when he got a wide-eyed look that might have been concern, even if it lasted all but two seconds. He had no idea where that had come from. There they were, an odd pair to be sure –it wasn’t every day you saw a pretty blonde-haired child sitting with an overweight adult Japanese man– but they had had an amicable silence between the two of them and then _WHAM_! His past had caught up with him.    

“Oh, really?” Yuuri made like he had no idea. To him, it sounded like Yuri didn’t know that he was talking the very skater he had just mentioned. “What’s he like?”

“I’ve never met him,” Yuri mumbled. “I’ve seen him a lot on TV, though. I liked watching him. He seems like he’s really shy, but when not when he skates. When I grow up, I want to be just like him.”

Yuuri tried to stop himself, he really did, but it slipped out. “What? Why?”

“I’m not telling you,” Yuri said in a manner that almost sounded like a sulk.

Yuuri didn’t want to press the boy. He never thought he’d find someone, let alone a child, in Thailand that knew about his ice skating career. He hadn’t set a foot on ice since his accident over a year ago. His knee couldn’t handle jumps like it used to. Yuuri knew that his skating career wouldn’t last forever, but he never thought it would end at the age of twenty-two. He had had a good run – two consecutive gold medals at the Junior Grand Prix, and another two consecutive gold medals a few years later in the senior division, even an Olympic medal. 

“Let’s go find your papa,” Yuuri said. He didn’t need nor want to dwell on his past. “I’m sure he’s very worried about you. You’ll have to hold my hand, ok?”

Yuri took the pro-offered hand silently, clutching the water bottle to his chest. The condensation from the bottle was absorbed by the boy’s t-shirt, which Yuuri noticed, had a large leaping tiger on it. Now that he thought about it, the man that Yuri had been following had been carrying a bolt of tiger print fabric.

“Do you like tigers?” Yuuri asked, trying to strike a friendly conversation while they wound their way through the hopefully less crowded parts of the market.

The boy didn’t answer him, so Yuuri decided against trying to talk to the kid until they found his father. Yuuri concentrated on the getting on the quickest, least crowded route to the security office. More than once, he had to scoop Yuri up into his arms to avoid having the boy being crushed by grown men pushing loaded carts or carrying boxes. They were very near misses that sent Yuuri’s poor heart aflutter in all the wrong ways.

Really, if Yuri wasn’t so heavy, he would’ve just carried the boy all the way to their destination. The reality of the matter was that Yuri wasn’t the lightest, despite his small size and Yuuri was also grossly out of shape. Yuuri didn’t know how Yuko handled the triplets when he was having this much trouble with a single kid. She needed to be commemorated or rewarded.    

Yuuri had never been so happy to see an info kiosk in his life. The security office wasn’t too far off from there.

“We’re nearly there,” he told Yuri. “Let’s hope your papa’s there already. I’m sure you’d like to be with him again, then you can tell him all about the fat Yuuri you met today.”

Yuri let out what might have been a laugh. Yuuri couldn’t be too sure, but that had been what he had been hoping for. Self-depraving jokes weren’t his style, but the kid looked cute when he smiled. It was worth it.

“Yuratchka!”

“Papa,” Yuri cried.

The boy ripped his hand from Yuuri’s and ran towards a tall grey-haired man. The man enveloped Yuri in a hug and proceeded to check the boy for any injuries. Yuuri inched closer. He could hear scraps of their conversation, but he didn’t understand any of it. He was glad Yuri was reunited with his father. His job was done.

“You,” the gray-haired man called out to Yuuri. “You helped my son, tha–”

Yuuri didn’t understand why, but the man stopped talking and stared at him, his eyes wide. Yuuri didn’t know he what had done to elicit such a reaction. Had his shirt ridden up without him noticing? He tugged at the hem of his shirt and was pleased that it seemed like that hadn’t been the case. He had no idea why such a good-looking foreigner was blatantly staring at him. It was made him extremely anxious all of a sudden. He had no idea what to do. He just wanted to leave so that the man would stop staring at him.

“I can’t believe it,” the man said.

“Papa?” Yuri asked.

Yuri was glad that the kid seemed to be just as confused as he was. He had never seen this man before in his life, really, with a face like that, there was no way Yuuri would ever be able to forget that man if he had ever met him.

“You’re Yuuri Katsuki! Yura, look, it’s your favourite ice skater in the flesh!”

Yuuri paled. He could not believe his luck or lack thereof. “Hello.” That was the best he could manage.

“But Papa, he’s fat. An ice skater can’t be fat.”

 _Trust the kid to go right to the heart of it_ , Yuuri thought. If he hadn’t been uncomfortable before, he was now. Yuri had being reprimanded in some foreign language, so Yuuri took that as his queue to leave.

“Yuri’s safe with you now, so if you’ll excuse me,” Yuuri said politely. He gave Yuri a small wave and turned to leave.

“Wait!”

The man grabbed his arm. Yuuri hadn’t been expecting that.

“I never thought I’d ever be able to meet you, I’m a huge fan. I’ve been watching you perform since your junior days.”

“Really?” Yuuri couldn’t find it in his heart to brush the man off. Not when he practically had stars swimming in his eyes when he looked down at Yuuri. “Thank you so much for the support.”

“Can I bother you for an autograph?”

“It’s no problem,” Yuuri had done it many times before, and he could foresee himself doing it again many times in the future when he finally decided to return to Japan. H should never have agreed to all those commercials, especially not that movie.

“Yura, give papa your drawing book and a pen,” the man told his son.

Yuuri smiled as he watched Yuri fumble around in a backpack that seemed to have materialised from nowhere. He guessed that the father must have had it with him all this time. Yuri flipped through the book to find a clean page and gave it to his father. Yuuri was sure he saw more than a few drawings of tigers. When the man handed over the book, Yuuri noticed that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. His hands were completely unadorned.

 _Widowed? Divorced?_ Yuuri wondered.

“Who should I make it out to?” Yuuri asked.

“If you could do two separate ones, I’d really appreciate it,” the man said. “One for Yuri, and one for myself.”

Yuuri wrote out a quick message addressed to Yuri, added his signature and did a quick cartoony tiger on the side. He hoped the boy liked it. He would’ve preferred to draw a poodle, simply because his poodles looked better than his attempts at drawing anything else.

“And your name?” Yuuri asked the man.

“Viktor,” he said. “Viktor Nikiforov.”

Viktor smiled at Yuuri. It had to be the most flirtatious smile Yuuri had ever seen, and he had seen his fair share, especially when taking Christophe into account. Wait, did he just wink? He did. Yuuri couldn’t believe it. He was so out of shape it wasn’t even funny. Yes, he might be considered good-looking when he was on the ice and in shape, but those days were behind him. Maybe it was just because he was somewhat famous in certain circles.

Yuuri swallowed past the lump in his throat and decided to do something reckless for once.

_To Viktor, the handsome stranger who lost his son in Chatuchak Market._

His signature was accompanied with a heart and his cell number at the bottom. Yuuri snapped the book shut, handed it back and disappeared faster than a bat outta hell.   

 

  

   

 

  

   


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome! I never thought you guy would've enjoyed it as much as you have!!! Every comment and kudo made happy. 
> 
> I hope this doesn't disappoint. 
> 
> Sorry if you find typos. I woke up insanely early to go get my copy of Final Fantasy XV and it's now after 1am. I don't have the energy to do an intensive proofread.

_+7xxxxxxxxx: HI! I hope thi…_

Yuuri cursed his lock screen for only giving such a small snippet of the message. He sighed and let his phone fall onto the bed beside him. He kept glancing at his phone. He was too nervous to unlock his screen.

 _How long has it been since the message was sent?_ Yuuri wondered. As he picked up his phone, it buzzed. It was another message from the same unknown number. He knew whose number it was. He had Googled that international dial code. The only Russian he knew who had his number was one Viktor Nikiforov, the handsome dad who had lost his child. Yuuri covered his face as he remembered what else he had put on that autograph.

“What was wrong with me?” Yuuri asked no one in particular. “Why did I have to draw a stupid heart? It wasn’t even a nice or cute heart! I wish it had been a sexy heart. Is it even possible to draw a sexy heart? No, that would’ve been worse. I should’ve drawn a poodle instead. Poodles are cuter and less embarrassing. Poodles are awesome!”

“What’s that about poodles?” Phichit asked.

“Welcome back,” Yuuri said as he sat up. “How was practice?”

“Good, but Ciao Ciao is really pushing me to refine the programme. I could use some pointers,” Phichit replied. He leant his shoulder against the doorframe. “Would you mind coming to the rink on Monday? It’ll take an hour, two max!”

“Sure. As long as no one tweets anything or posts photos of me while I’m there.”

“You know, this whole celebrity in hiding thing is really hard. We have so many awesome photos and I can’t share them! They need to be shared. Our little bit of happiness might just make someone else happy. Since we’re best friends, I’ll see what I can do, but seriously, what were you mumbling about just now? All I understood was the word poodle.”

Yuuri blushed. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew that because he blushed, Phichit would want to know all about it. He did the only logical thing that popped into his mind. Yuuri grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it.

 _Ingenious Katsuki,_ Yuuri thought. _No one ever thought of trying to hide in a pillow. That’ll solve all your problems, especially if they come in the form of a twenty-year-old Thai social media fundi that loves hamsters._

Yuuri wished he had something hamster related to distract Phichit with. It usually worked like a charm.

“Yuuri,” Phichit drawled as he wrestled his friend for the pillow. “Why’re you blushing? Tell me! You’re trying to make the pillow swallow your face. It has to be something good! Tell me, best friends tell each other everything, especially when it involves taking on fifty shades of red on your face! C’mon. I’m going to start guessing if you don’t tell me.”

Yuuri knew that would happen. Phichit was practically on top of him, trying to win the pillow. Yuuri wouldn’t relent, though. The pillow was his only salvation from repeating the autograph story, if he did, Phichit would seize his phone, and text back to Victor, pretending to be Yuuri. He couldn’t have that!   

“Did you get groped by a ladyboy again?” Phichit asked. “I bet she cropped a good feel and then asked you to pay for it because it seems like no matter your weight, you still have a good ass.”

“NO!”

“No?” Phichit stopped for a moment and gave an exaggerated hum. “Well, did you go to a ping pong show?”

“Never!”

“I know, you had a wild time at a moon party and had a few shroom shakes?”

“What? No.”

“Ok, that one was a bit of a long shot, but I get points for trying.” Phichit laughed and gave one more vigorous tug. The pillow was wrenched from Yuri’s fingers. “Success!”

Yuuri covered his face with his palms. He knew it was no use, Phichit had won, but he felt like being stubborn and tried to hide a little longer. It didn’t last very long. Phichit had taken on a merciless tactic. He started tickling Yuuri.

“This’ll all stop if you talk!”

“Never,” Yuuri gasped out between his laughing.

It probably would have gone on longer if his phone didn’t buzz. Another new message.

“Who’s looking for you this late?” Phichit asked as he reached for the phone.

Yuuri was quicker and clutched it to his chest. “No one.” Crap, he had said that too quickly. Why didn’t he take a break before he answered? Now Phichit knew, even without really knowing, because he was Phichit, and very little escaped his notice.

“Yuuri.”

There it was, that overly sweet tone of voice. That voice should be made illegal. Yuuri could deny Phichit nothing when he took on that voice, not even hamsters could save him.

“Tell meeeeeee.”

Urgh, not whining too.

“Ok, ok! I met someone!”

“No,” Phichit gasped in disbelief. “Yuuri, but that’s great news!”

“Well, that’s not the whole story. I first found his lost kid.”

“You found his kid?”

Yuuri sighed before he relayed that whole story. It didn’t take long; after all, Yuuri had left as soon as he had finished with Viktor’s autograph.

“He’s the one that’s looking for you now?” It seemed like Phichit could hardly contain himself. “Why haven’t you answered? More importantly, why didn’t you take a photo with him, or offer one, or even just take one of him?”

“I’m not in a steady relationship with my phone, unlike you.”

“Yet I’m the one with a boyfriend,” Phichit teased. “Oh, while I’m one that train of thought, I need to call Seung-gil. Don’t think this is over, Yuuri. I’ll be back.”

Yuuri sighed when Phichit got off of him and left the room. Overall, that had been less painful than he had anticipated. Yuuri rolled over onto his stomach and stared at his phone. He had spent the whole afternoon agonising over what had happened at the market. He never got around to doing the shopping he had wanted to do. He’d go next weekend.

He dragged his thumb over the black screen in lazy circles. Yuuri closed his eyes and groaned into the duvet. _What’s the worst thing that could happen?_

Yuuri unlocked his phone stared at his notifications. He had three unread messages, all from the same number. All from Viktor, a man he had said no more than a few dozen words to. He left like they were from the most popular guy in high school. It was silly, but Yuuri had never had a high school crush or a romance. He had been too busy with ice skating and photo shoots. It was a wonder he had passed through high school at all.

He took a deep breath and opened the messages.

_+7xx-xxx-xxxx 15:37_

_HI! I hope this is Yuuri Katsuki and not a fake number <3_

_+7xx-xxx-xxxx 15:39_

_It’s Viktor, the guy whose son you found. You gave each of us an autograph._

_+7xx-xxx-xxxx 16:45_

_I guess this is the wrong number._

Yuuri was mortified. He checked the time. 18:13. He felt so guilty about making the man wait. Yuuri got a steady grip on his on his phone and started typing.

_-18:14_

_It’s not the wrong number!!! I’m sorry for taking so long to look at them._

He sent it before he could second-guess himself. Yuuri stared eagerly at his phone. It was unrealistic of him to expect that Viktor would answer immedia–

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:14_

_Really? Then what mistake did you make at the 2011 Cup of China FS?_

Yuuri scowled at that. The Cup of China? He hoped he hadn’t just given his number to a self-proclaimed Yuuri otaku. One was more than enough. Yuuri sighed but thought back. He had gotten a bronze in that one. He wasn’t too sure.

_-18:16_

_IDK. I came 3 rd? I think messed up the triple axel?_

Yuuri didn’t know why, but he hoped that that was the right answer. He probably could just have watched a YouTube video on it, but then Viktor would have doubted him for taking so long to answer. He didn’t know how that proved his identity, though. Yuuri, how felt oddly bold when it came to this man, sat up and took quick selfie – bed hair and all.

_-18:19_

_Image sent. Ta-da!_

   _+7xxxxxxxxx 18:19_

_OMS!_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:20_

_IT’S YOU!!!! <333333333_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:20_

_I have a pic of Yuuri Katsuki! ASDFGHJK_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:21_

_٩_ _꒰_ _๑• ̫•_ _๑_ _꒱_ _۶_ _♡_

Yuuri squinted at the emoji. He was pretty sure it was a cloud. He wasn’t too sure.

_-18:21_

_U ok?_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:21_

_SO HAPPY_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:22_

_I’m texting with you!!_

_+7xxxxxxxxx 18:22_

_Thank you for finding Yura!! I don’t know what I would’ve done._

Yuuri smiled. He was glad that he had found little Yuri. He didn’t want to think of what could’ve happened to the poor boy. He stared at Viktor’s number. He quickly added him to his contacts.

_-18:24_

_No problem. I’m glad he’s safe. How did you guys get separated?_

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit curious about it.

_-Viktor18:24_

_Something about tiger fabric. IDK. He just mumbled it all out. He wouldn’t stop talking about you though :)_

Yuuri couldn’t believe that. To him, it seemed like he had shattered the kid’s dreams. Yuri had had a much higher image of Yuuri than what existed in reality. He had called him fat after all, and not just once, but twice. It was difficult for him to think that a kid like that would talk non-stop about him unless it was just one long plethora of insults.

_-Viktor 18:26_

_I’m sorry he called you fat :( it was very rude._

_-18:26_

_You both must have been disappointed._

_-Viktor 18:26_

_NEVER!!!!_

_-Viktor 18:27_

_It was a surprise, but you’re still awesome! The cutest little piggy! (/o(00)o\\)_

_The cutest little piggy?_ Yuuri didn’t know if he was insulted or not. It should feel like an insult, but when he thought about the context of the conversation, it made sense. A little. He did, actually, feel insulted. It didn’t even matter that the cute bit was there. He used to be cute, back when he was skating. Now he was overweight and hiding in Thailand, too scared about media backlash to return to Japan.

_-Viktor 18:28_

_I’m sorry I type before I think!_

  _-Viktor 18:28_

_I wasn’t disappointed! I was SO HAPPY to meet you!_

Yuuri pouted. Viktor seemed like a happy guy in general. It was a marvel that meeting him made the man even happier. It was such a contrast to his son. Yuri was cute, but he seemed very prickly. Almost like a cat. Yuuri smiled as he remembered the kid’s “secret” liking of them. It was too cute. He had never really like kids that much, but Yuri had grown onto him pretty fast, even if they hadn’t known each other for longer than an hour. He knew Viktor less than ten minutes, and he was texting with the man!  

_-Viktor 18:31_

_What are you doing now?_

He didn’t want to answer that. Yuuri didn’t want to admit that he had been sulking and rolling around in bed all afternoon. So, he was vague instead.

_-18:32_

_Nothing much._

_-18:33_

_Why?_

_-Viktor 18:34_

_Want to get a drink or 2?_

 

* * *

 

Viktor stared at his screen. He waited.

_Was I too forward? Should I’ve waited another day or two?_

He covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow. He wished there was an unsend button. Or time travel, even if he could just go back a few seconds. He would’ve made it so that he never sent that message. Yuuri was a celebrity; he didn’t have time for someone like Viktor, especially not a single parent. He probably came across as a too eager fan and scared the man off.

Viktor knew he didn’t make the best first impression either. Who lost their kid in a foreign market that was packed with tourists? Viktor did, that’s who. He was so ashamed of it. Yuri was his world. He had a job he hated so that he could afford to send his son to a good school. He had put his dreams on hold to make sure Yuri had everything he could want, within reason of course. There was no way he would ever buy the boy a tiger cub. It would eat poor Makkachin!

The phone had locked itself. He unlocked it and sighed when he saw that Yuuri hadn’t given him an answer. It really had been a stupid move. Yuuri would probably block his number now.

“Papa?” Yuri called.

Viktor sat up and looked over his shoulder. Yuri stood in the doorway, clutching his favourite tiger plushie to his chest. It was really too cute for words. It was at times like this, that Viktor was glad that all that Yuri seemed to have inherited from his mother had been her colouring – the blonde hair, green eyes and pale skin. He had been over the moon when he had noticed the blue flecks in his son’s eyes. It wasn’t as noticeable as it was in his own eyes, but at least he knew they were there.

“What is it?”

He could see that something was bothering Yuri. He knew his son, even he didn’t use many words to express himself, Victor just knew.

“I feel bad about what I said to Yuuri,” Yuri confessed. “I didn’t know it was him. Do you think he hates me now? He’ll probably never skate again cuz I was mean to him.”

Viktor smiled. “My baby, come here.”

Yuri ran over and jumped into his father’s arms.

“I don’t think he hates you,” Viktor whispered into the blonde head of hair. “In fact, he told me that he feels sorry that you saw him while he was fat.”

“He didn’t say that when we saw him. Don’t make up stuff to make me feel better. I don’t like it when you do that!”

“I’m not,” Viktor said softly. He showed him the texts he had sent to Yuuri, and of course, the photo as well. “See, Papa’s talking to Yuuri right now. Isn’t that awesome?”

“His hair is messy,” Yuri commented. “Why would he be talking to you, Papa?”

“That’s a story for tomorrow morning,” Viktor rebuffed. “It’s time for little kittens to go to bed!”

Viktor shot up with Yuri still in his arms and carried the boy to his room. He was thankful that his cousin Georgi let them stay at his place. It was the only reason why they had come to Thailand. The free accommodation was a real deal clincher. The only downside was the weather. He couldn’t believe that they were experiencing the Thai equivalent of winter. He couldn’t sleep at night without having the fan on, and even then, he tossed and turned fitfully.

Yuri had demanded a bedtime story. Viktor always indulged him with that. He liked it. He loved making up stories for his son. He had Yuri reading by himself already, and he hoped that his son was a budding reader. Viktor had once dreamed of writing novels, but now he satisfied his appetite for it by making up bedtime stories for his son. He had a few drafts for children’s’ picture flats complete with illustrations, but the Russian publications weren’t interested. Viktor couldn’t blame them. The book market wasn’t very lucrative in Russia these days, not compared to overseas markets.

By the time Yuri was asleep, it was well after seven. Viktor poured himself some cooldrink and checked his phone.

Yuuri had answered him!

 _-_ _֍Yuuri Katsuki_ _֍ 19:08_

_Yuuri would love to join you! Meet him at JJ Green Market at 8!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL, I just realised that I never went to places in Thailand that were appropriate for families. I went off the beaten path. I'll make it work. Probably. IDK.
> 
> Lemme know what you guys thought. 
> 
> Ping pong show - since this is rated teen, I'm not going to explain. Google it at your own risk.  
> Moon party - a big party, usually on beaches on the islands during a full moon.  
> Shroom shakes - a drug blended into a milkshake. Please don't do drugs, even if everyone else is doing it!
> 
> PS - Ladyboys are so beautiful it's unfair, and everyone should see a ladyboy cabaret at least once!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not abandoned this, I swear! I'm so sorry that it's been over a month since the last update, really. My vacation was longer than originally planned. This chapter is longer than usual, so there's that at least. 
> 
> Thank you for all the reviews and kudos!!! Love all you guys! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

_-_  ❄ _Yuuri Katsuki_ _❄19:10_

_Yuuri will be waiting by the entrance wearing a dark blue polo shirt!_

_-_  ❄ _Yuuri Katsuki_ ❄ _19:10_

_Have fun <3_

Viktor reread the messages and then rushed to his bedroom to go and change. He didn’t know who was texting him in Yuuri’s stead, but he knew that he already liked them. They had just secured a date for him with THE Yuuri Katsuki! Well, maybe a date was being a bit too optimistic, but they were going out for drinks, and it seemed, or he hoped, it would just be the two of them.

“Two lifetime opportunities in one day,” Viktor said to himself. “You better make sure this keeps up!”

He threw open his cupboard and flicked through all his clothes. He had nothing decent, well, he did have a formal dress shirt and pants to go with it, but that would be overkill. They were meeting up in a market, not a Michelin star restaurant. He wouldn’t have even been able to afford a napkin there if it had been the latter.

“Focus, Nikiforov.”

Viktor checked his phone for a weather forecast of the rest of the evening. It didn’t look like it would drop below twenty-five degrees Celsius anytime soon. He had no choice but to go in a t-shirt and shorts, He would die in anything else. Viktor just hoped that wherever they sat down, that they had a cold beer. 

“How about pretty in pink tonight?” Viktor voiced his thoughts aloud. It helped with the bundle of anxious feelings bubbling in his stomach. “Or something more classic? Black is a classic choice.”

He felt silly. Viktor wished Makka-chin was with him. His four-legged companion always knew the right thing to do, even if his taste in clothing was questionable. He knew what Yuuri would be wearing, at least. Viktor grabbed the pink v-neck shirt and held it to his chest. The v-neck wasn’t too wide or deep, it left just enough to the imagination. The fuchsia tone would help make him stand out in the crowd and therefore make it easy for Yuuri to spot him. He didn’t need to really do anything to stand out in Bangkok. He was already taller than the average man, and his pale skin, grey hair and blue eyes made him stand out like a pimple on a baby’s butt.

Viktor scowled at his reflection.

“You’re going to go out and meet Yuuri,” he whispered to himself. “Confidence is key right now. Pretty in pink it is!”

Viktor showered and changed in record time. He was styling his hair when he heard Georgi return home. Perfect timing. He pocketed his essentials and went to greet his cousin.

“Dear cousin of mine, I have a favour to ask,” Viktor said as cheerfully as he could muster. 

 

* * *

 

Yuuri fidgeted with his fingers. Of all the things he thought his best friend was capable of, usurping his phone and setting him up with a date in three seconds had never even crossed his mind. Viktor, from what he had gleaned off of their short acquaintance, didn’t seem like the type of man to pass up a date. He didn’t have the heart to cancel on Viktor, so he would have to settle on exacting some sort of revenge on Phichit later. Maybe he could even get Seung-gil to help out.

He got off of the train and left the station. Yuuri adjusted his messenger bag’s strap across his shoulder and tried to quietly make his way through the throng of young Thai people. He wished Phichit hadn’t chosen a place as popular as JJ Green Market. Yuuri supposed it wasn’t a bad place to meet up with Viktor, there was plenty to see and the food was good too. The live music was another plus too.

Before Yuuri knew it, he was by the market’s entrance. He didn’t know if he found it ironic or not that they were meeting up in another market, and one that was practically Chatuchak Market’s neighbour to boot, or if Phichit had planned it like that. He just hoped that it wasn’t too much out of Viktor’s way. Not that much of anything was out of the way in Bangkok with the sky train or metro.

_What about Yuri?_

Yuri started at that thought. What was Viktor going to do about his son? Where they in a hotel that had extra staff to look after the kid? Yuuri now felt all the worse about it all. He hadn’t thought about how it would all impact Yuri, but then again, if it would have been a problem, Viktor would’ve declined, wouldn’t he? He hoped so.

Yuuri checked his phone for the time: 19:53. Viktor hadn’t shown up yet, but that was ok. It wasn’t eight o’clock yet. There was still time – just seven more minutes of standing around, waiting, alone, in the middle of a throng of Thai people. He hated this part, waiting that is. Yuuri couldn’t help but think of all sorts of different possibilities, scenarios for Viktor not being able to show up or cancel. Sure, Viktor had been pretty star struck that morning when they first met, but that was the thing. Yuuri was a celebrity, albeit not a very famous one, but Viktor was a fan. He hoped that that wasn’t all there was to it.

_I should probably stop that train of thought right there_ , Yuuri told himself. He didn’t want to work himself up into an anxious mess. He occupied himself by typing out notes on his phone for a potential short programme, not that he’d ever skate it, but it was something to do.

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri started, he had nearly dropped his phone too. He looked around and then suddenly zeroed in on Viktor and his pink shirt. Yuuri didn’t want to shout, so he just gave a small wave and waited for Viktor to join him. The closer the man got, the more Yuuri thought that that pink shirt looked good on him, he probably wore the colour better than any man he had ever seen.

“Good evening,” Yuuri greeted once Viktor stood in front of him. “I hope you found this place alright.”

“It was no problem,” Viktor reassured. “I had my cousin give me directions, but I was so scared that I wouldn’t make it in time and you’d leave, but here we are!”

There they were indeed. Yuuri didn’t know what to do now. There was a whole market behind them that provided a long list of things for them to do, including the proffered drinks that had started it all. He just didn’t know how to actually get them started on the right track.

Yuuri gave a small smile. “Ok, but I have to ask, what did you do about Yuri?”

Viktor got a soft look in his eyes. “He’s fine, my cousin is looking after him. We’re actually staying at his house, but Yurochka is probably fast asleep by now.”

“Oh, do you live here?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor blinked. “No, no. I’m here on vacation from St. Petersburg. My cousin lives here, though. Free accommodation is the best kind there is.”

“That’s in Russia, isn’t it?” It was a stupid question; Yuuri knew that as soon as he finished with the last syllable of that sentence.  

“That’s right.”

Yuuri was glad that Viktor didn’t seem to get upset about his stupid question, in fact, he could’ve sworn it made the man happy.

“We should… um…” Yuuri had trouble finding the rest of the words to what was supposed to complete that sentence, so he gave up and motioned to the market behind him.   

Viktor, to his credit, understood and gave Yuuri the most wonderful heart-shaped smile he had ever seen. He never knew it was even possible for someone to have a heart-shaped smile, but there it was, and it was directed at him.

“Lead the way,” Viktor said as he held out his arm to allow Yuuri to go ahead.

Yuuri fidgeted with his fingers one last time and then entered the market. Viktor was right beside him.

“So,” Viktor started, “why Thailand?”

Yuuri looked to the side, purposefully avoiding any effort on Viktor’s part to make eye contact.

“Well… I wanted to lay low for a while.”

“Lay low?”

Yuuri sighed. He stopped by a stall with LP records for sale. He wasn’t very interested in them, not when he had a cell phone that had more music than he could ever listen to, but Phichit had been looking for a particular artist’s album and it had to be on an LP. It couldn’t hurt for him to look. It also gave him some time to think about how to answer Viktor’s question, even if he wasn’t very up for it.

“You could say I’m in a bit of slump right now,” Yuuri answered. “I’ve been skating a long time, and I did ballet before that, so a career-ending injury was a big shock.”

Yuuri took an album in hand at random and glanced over the cover before he flipped it over. He couldn’t say he was much of an ABBA fan, but Phichit was quite the fan of old pop music. He couldn’t recall seeing this particular one in his friend’s collection. It would be a nice surprise gift, but then again, he was still mad at Phichit. Maybe mad wasn’t the best word for how he felt. He could always hold onto it until Phichit’s birthday.  

“What, uh,” Viktor cleared his throat before he continued. “What happened? That’s if you don’t mind me asking.”

Yuuri sighed. He did mind. It would be rude to say so, but he didn’t want to admit that it was because of his own stupidity.

“That is… I…” Yuuri couldn’t find his words. They were all jumbled up. “It was–”

“It’s alright,” Viktor said. He took the top edge of the LP Yuuri held and then brought it closer so that he could examine it himself. “Are you a fan?”

“Ah… no.” Yuuri had to be honest, even if he lost major brownie points from Viktor in the process. “A friend of mine is, though.”

“Really?” Viktor seemed surprised by Yuuri’s answer. “Is there any reason why?”

“Not really.”

“Aw,” Viktor whined as he handed the album back and examined the selection of LPs further. “I love them. Pop music in general, actually, Russian pop and old school pop if I want to be specific.”

Yuuri didn’t know if he could count that as a lucky break or not. He could hold a conversation about pop music because he had listened to Phichit talk about it for years now. He might not be interested in it, but if Viktor was, he’d make an effort at least.

“Come to think of it,” Viktor said as he picked another LP, “all your music for your programmes have always been operas, arias, classical, and nothing more contemporary than original instrumentals.”

“Really?” Yuuri had never noticed. It was definitely something a fan would pick up on, though. “That must have made me very boring and predictable.”

“Not at all,” Viktor refuted. “You were always wonderful to watch! I wanted to ask what music you liked to listen to.”

“Oh.” Yuuri glanced at Viktor and inadvertently made eye contact. He quickly looked back down to the LPs. He wished he could find the same reckless courage he had had that morning. Things would be so much simpler if he had even a drop of that at that moment. It wasn’t even that complicated a question. “Well, I like the music I skated to, but other than that? I’m not sure. I like jazz, indie pop every now and then, folk music if I–”

Viktor suddenly invaded his personal space. As in he had his hand wrapped gently around the side of Yuuri’s neck stage of invasion. The man was using his neck as an anchor and leant over and in front of Yuuri to reach for an LP that had caught his eye. Yuuri wasn’t used to that kind of utter lack of respect to personal boundaries, not at all. He had no idea what to do or even what to say. He didn’t know if this kind of behaviour was the norm in Russia or not.

“–in the mood,” Yuuri squeaked out as he finished his sentence, albeit unnecessarily.

He could smell the man’s aftershave. It was such a nice, subtle smell, but that also reminded him how close they were. Viktor’s hand was hot. Yuuri still had no idea what to do.

“I can’t believe it!” Viktor exclaimed as he held up the LP. “Look at this!”

Yuuri really had no other choice than to look at it, since it had been practically shoved under his nose. He pushed back the wrist holding the LP a bit so that he could see it better. The corners on the covers were a bit busted at the corners and the colour had faded somewhat, but the overall condition of it was bad. The dark-haired, bespectacled woman was unfamiliar.

“Nana Mouskouri,” Yuuri read aloud.

Viktor seemed to pick on the unvoiced question that had been carried through by his tone. Viktor let go of Yuuri’s neck, and took a small step back and held the LP out before him.

“You’ve never heard of Nana Mouskouri?” Viktor asked. “What were your parents teaching you as a child?”

Yuuri was a bit confused as to how that sentence related to music. What did his parent teach him? Did he mean what did his parent make him listen to as a kid, maybe?

“Um… Meiko Kaji…”

“You listen to her too?”  

ABBA, this Nana woman and now Meiko Kaji –Yuuri couldn’t believe that Viktor knew that she was a singer, much less know of her music. Viktor had tucked the LP under his arm and had grabbed Yuuri’s hands in his in record time. Really, all Yuuri did was blink and he suddenly found his perfectly average-sized Japanese hands engulfed by the man’s large, pale hands. Ok, maybe he was exaggerating, but Viktor’s hands were bigger than his, but from what he could see, the man had long, slender fingers. He still saw so no ring or even a tan line that might have hinted at there being one in the past.  

“I love her music!” Viktor exclaimed.

“How?” was all Yuuri could manage when Viktor started to swing their hands up and down and side to side.

_How on Earth is this happy man be related to that surly child?_ Yuuri asked himself. The two were like night and day.  

Viktor stopped the hand holding and held up the LP again. “My mother was a linguist. She listened to music from over eight different languages. I’ll tell you all about my dear mother later, but first, could you ask the man if he could place the first song on this?”

Yuuri took the LP from Viktor and got the vendor’s attention. While his Thai wasn’t bad, he did have to repeat himself before the man understood. A jovial beat started up that was followed by humming.

“Dance with me!” Viktor said more than asked. He grabbed Yuuri’s hand and placed his left hand between Yuuri’s shoulder blades.

Yuuri didn’t have time to protest as Viktor lead them around the stall and back again. It wasn’t all that hard to follow his lead and Yuuri wasn’t born with two left after all, but most of all, he was having fun, even if he was making at utter fool of himself in front of other people. They had to be a sight to see – a tall, handsome foreigner with a shorter, overweight, non-descript Japanese. Even if he had still had his season-fit body, he would never have imagined himself dancing around a market with a man like Viktor.

Viktor had a sparkle in his eyes as he looked at Yuuri and sang along, “ _…turn off the wind the thunder and rain, turn on the sun lets smile again...”_

Yuuri noticed that more people made way for them, so Viktor had changed their course and they were now dancing in the middle of a crowd. Viktor didn’t let him dwell on it as he let go of one of his hands and let Yuuri copy his moves. They joined together and danced around for a few moments longer before the song ended. Applause came from the crowd while Yuuri put a hand to his chest and tried to catch his breath. That had to be his cardio workout for the week.

“Yay,” Viktor said as he let go of his hand, “that was fun!”

Yuuri just gave a smile and a nod, because his lungs were too with the simple function called breathing to talk. While he was doing that, he noticed that there were more than a few people in the crowd that had taken out their phones and had either taken videos or photos of the whole thing. He felt mortified. Of all the possible ways for someone to upload material of him, dancing around in a market had certainly not been one of them.

Yuuri pushed his glasses up before they could fall off and went back to the vendor. He might be out of breath, but he could still haggle. In the corner of his eye, his could see Viktor next to him. In the end, he got the ABBA and the Nana Mokuri… no, that wasn’t right, but he had the both of them now.

“Are they for your friend?” Viktor asked as they continued on deeper into the market.

“The Nana is for me,” Yuuri said. There was no point in denying it. “Every time I listen to that song, I’ll think of you.”

Viktor stopped his tracks. Yuri stopped as well. Viktor looked at Yuuri with tears in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Yuuri asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Viktor assured as he engulfed Yuuri in a tight hug. “I’m happy! Happy tears!”

Yuuri had never understood how someone could be so happy that they cried. He had never been _that_ happy before. At least he was able to make Viktor that happy.

“How long have you been in Thailand?” Yuuri asked as Viktor let him go.

“I’m not sure, maybe a week?”

Yuuri pursed his lips. It wasn’t that long a time, and Viktor was with his son, so he doubted the man had explored or been exposed extensively to Thai cuisine. He had a craving, but he wasn’t sure if Viktor would be up to sharing the food with him. It could potentially be a very fast way to ruin the evening, but all that dancing had made him hungry.

“Do you like Thai food?” Yuuri asked as he ventured straight towards the food stalls.

“From what I’ve had, I can say I’ve enjoyed,” Viktor answered. “I just never know what I’m eating. Do you like Thai food?”

“I do.” Yuuri knew that if he wanted to satisfy his craving and not weird Viktor out, he’d have to ask now. “So, how adventurous of an eater are you?”

“Well, I’d try anything at least once.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Viktor assured with a smile.

Yuuri smiled back. “Ok then. This way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end of the 'date' but I had to split it up, otherwise, it would be too long. I promise not to wait so long again for the next update! 
> 
> Btw I hope you guys like chubby!Yuuri cuz he's kinda here to stay. 
> 
> P.S. I'm a huge Nana Mouskouri fan...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! There are a few fics where Viktor is a celebrity, so I thought I'd change it up a bit. Although, Yuuri isn't that big of a celebrity outside of Japan. It still counts, hopefully. 
> 
> The last time I was in Bangkok was nearly two years ago, so some of the things I mentioned might not even be there anymore. Most of the story will be set in Bangkok, or different places in Thailand. You know, places I've been to, that kind of thing. 
> 
> I'd love to hear what you thought of it!


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